If you are travelling into the Outback Region of Western New South Wales, you may very likely travel through or stay in Broken Hill.
Broken Hill was originally a mining town and is recognised as an important hub for travellers, placed on the crossroads of the of the Barrier Highway and the Silver City Highway. You can use this location as a point to replenish supplies on a trip as you head from the East Coast, West through to South Australia or travel North into Corner Country.
If you are into history, this small city is also a great place to stay for a while. The region has fabulous tourism opportunities and holds onto an incredible pub history. It would be safe to say there are more pubs in Broken Hill than you will have time to visit on a trip.
Now if you are coming to Broken Hill, I always recommend people head around 20 kms north, out to the small town of Silverton.
This is a photographers dream with so much beauty in its old buildings, history, and art culture.
As you walk the dirt roads and footpaths of the original town in the region, you will be spoilt for photographic opportunities, but make sure you arrive there for sunrise and allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy the experience.
The Silverton Hotel is an obvious feature of Silverton and is one of our favourite outback pubs. Yes, I know there are so many awesome pubs in the Australian Outback, but this one is special to us and many people we talk to. This is also arguably, one of the most photographed iconic pubs in Australia. For the 4WDer, if you go to Silverton, you simply must grab that photo of your car in front of the Silverton Hotel.
From the outside, this quaint little pub is a thing of beauty which, with the early morning light highlighting its façade. As you step inside through the swinging doors, you will discover an old-style bar set in the centre of the building, with memorabilia everywhere.
Memorabilia from the film industry which has been extremely rich in the area, with so many amazing films shot here such as Mad Max 2, Razorback, A Town Like Alice, Dirty Deeds, The Craig, just to name a few.
If you take a seat at the bar, you will find yourself leaving your seat as you walk around to view all the old images on the walls and the quirky notes hanging from the ceiling, which are sure to bring you a smile.
The Silverton Hotel is not the original pub in town. The original Pub was burnt down in 1918 and the pub site was moved to the Post Office, which is what you see today. The ruins of the Pubs original walls still stand today and can be found at the back of the pub, opposite its accommodation site.
The publicans Peter and Patsy Price have transformed the site to hold both small and large events and groups in a comfortable location without removing its warm charm.
They have recently rebuilt the VW out front which has been modelled around themes from Mad Max and is now interactive with hidden buttons triggering various sound effects from Mad Max.
If you are travelling alone, with friends or family, make time to check out the Silverton Hotel.
What else can you see in the area?
Silverton is rich in art providing you the opportunity to talk with artists and maybe pick up something special for your home. Our favourite artist is John Dynon who is just up the road from the Silverton Hotel. He is an outback artist with incredible talent in capturing the colours of this region. We have a tradition where I make him a coffee whenever we are in town.
Silverton also has many beautiful buildings and museums of mining and the famous Mad Max Museum celebrating the Mad Max series.
You can enjoy a feed at the pub and visit the bakery right next door. You might also be lucky to see the famous donkeys around town. These donkeys are actually famous as most people who have been to Silverton, have heard of them and are keen to see them for themselves.
There are camel rides with Silverton Outback Camels which take you around town and sometimes will stop in at the pub for a cool drink.
If you are keen to head underground, the nearby Daydream Mine is worth a visit. You can walk around the site, but I would recommend you book yourself onto one of their underground tours to look at what used to go on in the mining industry.
In the afternoon, preferably around sunset, a must visit is the Mundi Mundi lookout for its amazing views.
Silverton is also home to the Mundi Mundi Bash held in August, if you are interested in camping and music, this is worth a look. Check out our article on the Mundi Mundi Bash 2022.
Thoughts On The 2022 Mundi Mundi Bash
Where can you stay?
The Silverton Hotel has accommodation or if you are camping, the nearby Penrose Park campground offers many camp sites and is a walking distance from the pub itself.
Broken Hill has many styles of accommodation or if you head further north, you’ll find Eldee Station which has both accommodation and camping available.
If you would like to discover more about the history of Silverton and the Silverton Hotel you might like to check out this video as follows Silverton Hotel
We simply love Silverton and whenever we are in the area, even if we don’t have the time, we will visit, just to say hello… oh… and grab a couple of photos of our 4B in front of the Silverton Hotel.
“Cheers”
-Michael Ellem
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